Armed Forces: Aircraft

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether British components for F-16 fighter aircraft and Apache helicopters have been exported to the United States and subsequently used by Israel for attacks on south Lebanon and Gaza; and, if so, whether they will make representations to the government of the United States.

Lord Malloch-Brown: I refer the noble Lord to the Written Ministerial Statement—"Israel: Update on UK Strategic Export Controls" made by my right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary on 21 April 2009 (Official Report, col. 8WS).
	We have received no reports that UK equipment or components, either directly or indirectly supplied to Israel, have been used in recent skirmishes along the Israel/Lebanon border. However, we are aware that Israeli aircraft do regularly fly over southern Lebanon in breach of UN Security Council Resolution 1701. These aircraft may have included UK-supplied components.
	We are working with the new US Administration on a wide range of subjects, including strategic exports, and continue to engage them at all levels.

Armed Forces: Equipment

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether components for naval communications and radar for weapon sights and general military aircraft and naval vessels manufactured in the United Kingdom and exported to Israel have been used recently in south Lebanon and Gaza; and, if so, what action they will take.

Lord Malloch-Brown: I refer the noble Lord to the Written Ministerial Statement—"Israel: Update on UK Strategic Export Controls" made by my right honourable friend the Foreign Secretary on 21 April 2009 (Official Report, col. 8WS).
	We have received no reports that UK equipment or components, either directly or indirectly supplied to Israel, have been used in recent skirmishes along the Israel/Lebanon border. However, we are aware that Israeli aircraft do regularly fly over southern Lebanon in breach of UN Security Council Resolution 1701. These aircraft may have included UK-supplied components.
	I can also assure you that all available information about UK-supplied equipment being used by the Israeli defence forces during Operation Cast Lead, will be taken into account when we assess future applications. We are also reviewing extant licences to see whether these need to be re-considered in light of the change in circumstances and will report to the Committees on Arms Export Control.

Belize

Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Malloch-Brown on 30 March (WA 178), (a) what is the breakdown of the €11.8 million from the European Development Fund allocated to Belize for 2008—13, (b) what is the breakdown of the €48.2 million from the European Union that Belize is expected to receive between 2006 and 2010; and (c) what steps have been or are being taken to ensure that this funding is or was spent according to the purpose for which it was allocated.

Lord Malloch-Brown: Belize's allocation from the European Development Fund (EDF) for 2008-13 includes €10 million for integrated rural development; €1.2 million for technical and material support for the national authorising officer of the Minister of Economic Development; with the remaining €0.6 million allocated to trade related assistance, improvement of public expenditure and financial accountability and technical training on issues such as tax reform.
	The €48.2 million that Belize, as a sugar protocol country, receives is allocated on an annual basis as follows (2006: €3 million, 2007: €6 million, 2008: €9 million, 2009: €13.l million, 2010: €17.1 million). There is no separate breakdown available for amounts allocated according to activity. These allocations are decided on a yearly basis in annual action plans.
	Overall, activities aim to improve the efficiency of sugar cane production, processing and economic diversification, with a strong emphasis on developing rural infrastructure in sugar producing areas e.g. roads and bridges. The European Commission (EC) disburses, manages and monitors this funding. Monitoring takes place through regular visits from the supervising EC delegation based in Jamaica and regular reviews.

Belize and Guatemala

Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Malloch-Brown on 30 March (WA 178), (a) what is the breakdown of the £500,000 allocated to projects in Belize and Guatemala from their conflict prevention pool during the 2008—09 financial year, and (b) what steps have been or are being taken to ensure that this funding is spent on conflict prevention.

Lord Malloch-Brown: During financial year 2008-09, a total of £517,000 was allocated from the tri-departmental conflict prevention pool to projects in Belize and Guatemala. These projects aimed to encourage confidence-building measures between the Governments of Belize and Guatemala to help them reach a settlement on their long running territorial dispute, with a view eventually to referring the issue to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for resolution.
	The breakdown of expenditure is as follows: £200,000 for the Organisation of American States (OAS) Belize/Guatemala: ICJ Legal Fees Fund; £125,000 support to the OAS office in the Adjacency Zone (in the Belize/ Guatemala border); £75,000 support for information and awareness raising campaigns in Belize; £90,000 for confidence-building measures; £27,000 for research projects.
	Project bids were initially assessed against our conflict prevention strategy for the Americas and are monitored by our embassies in Belize and Guatemala and through the OAS, including through periodic progress and evaluation reports.

Buses

Lord Dykes: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will provide additional funding to local authorities to cover any shortfall in funding free bus travel for persons over 60; and, if so, when.

Lord Adonis: The Government are confident that the special grant paid to travel concession authorities (TCAs) for the all-England off-peak statutory bus travel concession is sufficient in total. Additional funding of £212 million was provided to TCAs in 2008-09, rising to £217 million in 2009-10, and £223 million in 2010-11, purely to cover the cost of extending the concession.
	The formula used to distribute this extra funding was consulted on in detail and takes account of likely demand in areas such as coastal towns, urban centres and other places likely to experience an increase in bus journeys.
	We are currently consulting on possible changes to how concessionary travel is administered. Any changes may provide an opportunity to consider how best to distribute the totality of funding.

Buses: Concessionary Fares

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the level of shortfall for concessionary bus fares among local authorities which cover tourist destinations.

Lord Adonis: The Government are confident that sufficient funding is available, in total, for statutory concessionary travel. The majority of funding for concessionary travel is provided through the formula grant process. As concessionary travel is not separately identified within this block grant, it is not possible to identify how much individual authorities receive specifically for concessionary travel.
	This year an additional £217 million will be provided to local authorities to cover the cost of the extension from free local travel to free England-wide travel. The formula used to distribute this extra funding was consulted on in detail and takes account of likely demand in areas such as coastal towns, urban centres and other places likely to experience an increase in bus journeys.
	We are currently consulting on possible changes to how concessionary travel is administered and any changes may provide an opportunity to consider how best to distribute the totality of funding.

Business Support: Minorities

Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what evidence is available to demonstrate that their public procurement policies and practices lead to benefits for businesses run by women, black minority ethnic and disabled people.

Lord Myners: The Government regard SMEs, including businesses run by women, black minority ethnic and disabled people, as a key engine of the economy and are committed to tackling barriers to their engagement in public procurement.
	As announced in the 2009 Budget, the Government will introduce a series of reforms by the end of this year to improve access to government contracts for SMEs following the recommendations of the Glover committee. These include the measurement of SME spend, flagging SME friendly contracts, guidance and tools for simplified pre-qualification procedures, and training for procurers and SMEs. A single, free of charge, opportunities portal will be delivered by December 2010.

Care Services: Older Adults and Disabled People

Lord Morris of Manchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government what comments they have received on the debate in the House of Lords on 19 March on care services for older adults and disabled people (Official Report, House of Lords, cols. 338—68) from Mr K Mack on behalf of his voluntary organisation; and what reply they are making.

Lord Darzi of Denham: The department has received a letter following the debate on 19 March and a reply was sent on 14 April 2009.

Children: Poverty

Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the status of their target to end child poverty.

Baroness Morgan of Drefelin: The Government remain committed to their target to eradicate child poverty by 2020 and are legislating shortly to enshrine this commitment in law.
	Child poverty figures are obtained from the Households Below Average Income statistics, an annual Department for Work and Pensions publication. The last published statistics show that in 2006-07 600,000 children have been lifted out of relative poverty since 1998-99 and absolute poverty has been halved. The figures for 2007-08 are due to be published shortly.

Disabled People: Dropped Kerbs

Baroness Thomas of Winchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, following their consultation exercise on parking on dropped kerbs which are required for wheelchair users, they will introduce measures to discourage such parking.

Lord Adonis: The consultation proposed clarifying in law that traffic signs are not required for an enforcement authority to take action against vehicles parked in contravention at a dropped footway (etc) or double parked (etc).
	Over three-quarters of responses were supportive and I am pleased to announce that my honourable friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport has laid the statutory instrument in Parliament, which is due to come into force on 1 June 2009.
	It is for enforcement authorities to decide whether to use this power and publicise any intention to do so.

Disabled People: Public Bodies

Baroness Thomas of Winchester: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proportion of members of government advisory panels and other public bodies are disabled people.

Lord Patel of Bradford: The annual Cabinet Office publication Public Bodies provides information on the proportion of disabled people serving on the boards of public bodies. Public Bodies 2008 reports that 5 per cent of those serving on the boards of public. bodies, as at 31 March 2008, were disabled. This is an increase from 3.3 per cent in 2002 when data on disability were first collated. Copies of Public Bodies are available from the Libraries of the House.

Drugs

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what research has been conducted into links between drug addiction among young people and family disintegration.

Baroness Morgan of Drefelin: The impact of family problems on young people's life-chances, including substance misuse, is well-evidenced. The Cabinet Office report Reaching Out: Think Family (www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/media/cabinetoffice/social_exclusion_task_force/assets/think_families/think_families_full_report.pdf) provides a summary of the most relevant research and identifies the links to government policy.
	The Think Family programme led by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) has built upon this research through an £80 million investment to improve local authority parenting and family support. This programme is closely linked to the Government's commitments in the National Drug Strategy (2008) to support young people and families affected by substance misuse, and to the DCSF's wider work to support young people at risk.

Electoral Register

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many electors in each constituency were registered anonymously in (a) 2007—08, and (b) 2008—09.

Lord Patel of Bradford: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Karen Dunnell, National Statistician, to Lord Greaves, dated April 2009.
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Question asking how many electors in each constituency were registered anonymously in (a) 2007-08, and (b) 2008-09.(HL2946)
	Table 1 shows the number of people who were registered anonymously by Government Office Region within England and Wales on 1 December 2007 and 1 December 2008. Due to small numbers, we are unable to supply anonymous electors by parliamentary constituency.
	The latest year for which electoral statistics are available is 2008.
	The Office for National Statistics do not hold data on anonymous registration for Scotland, the legislation for anonymous registration is not yet enacted in Northern Ireland.
	
		
			 Table 1: Number of electors registered anonymously by Government Office Region in England and Wales 2007-08 
			 Government Office Region 2007 1 2008 2 
			 England 304 506 
			 North East 10 14 
			 North West 16 31 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 75 52 
			 East Midlands 26 76 
			 West Midlands 20 42 
			 East of England 50 60 
			 London 38 73 
			 South East 39 97 
			 South West 30 61 
			 Wales 6 23 
		
	
	1 Of the administering local authorities, 24 did not provide figures for those registered anonymously on 1 December 2007
	2 Of the administering local authorities, 36 did not provide figures for those registered anonymously on 1 December 2008
	Source: Office for National Statistics

Electoral Register

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many applications for anonymous electoral registration were rejected in (a) 2007—08, and (b) 2008—09; and what proportion this was of the total number of applications.

Lord Bach: The Office for National Statistics figures reveal that following the introduction of anonymous registration in Great Britain on 1 June 2007, 310 electors were anonymously registered as of 1 December 2007. As of 1 December 2008 the number of electors registered anonymously rose to 551. However, it is not known how many applications for anonymous registration were made to or rejected in these years by an electoral registration officer because this information is not collected centrally.

Embryology

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answers by Lord Drayson on 20 April (WA 329—30), whether the Medical Research Council (MRC) is responsible for funding research worldwide with induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) and stem cells derived by nuclear transfer, such that a worldwide search would be necessary to address the outcomes of research funded by the MRC.

Lord Drayson: The Medical Research Council (MRC) primarily supports research based within the UK. However, a large proportion of the scientists supported by the MRC have extensive national and international collaborations. In stem cell research there are examples of major international joint funding initiatives such as the new partnership between the MRC and the Californian Institute of Regenerative Medicine which aims to support collaboration between scientists in the UK and California. This high level of collaboration results in the production of many research papers worldwide based directly or indirectly on MRC support.
	There is frequently a significant time lag between the provision of funding to projects and research publications arising from those projects. The consistent classification of research papers with a primary or significant focus on embryonic, as opposed to other stem cell approaches, requires a careful analysis of the contents of the papers in question. Management information held by the MRC, and extensive datasets such as PubMed, BiomedExpert.com, Faculty of 1000, and Thompson ISI, cannot therefore reliably identify all papers with this research focus without trained scrutiny of the results.
	A simple counting of research papers is not a reliable measure of output without information about the quality of these publications. Analysis of the citation rate of research papers, normalised by research field, is an established approach to measuring the impact of publications. This analysis relies on data about citations having accumulated over several years.
	At present the MRC supports almost 200 programmes relating to stem cell research. Therefore currently such information could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Embryology

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answers by Lord Drayson on 20 April (WA 329—30) regarding the disproportionate cost of analysing many hundreds of journals worldwide, whether employees of the Medical Research Council (MRC) make use of the PubMed online database.

Lord Drayson: The MRC does make use of the US digital archive of biomedical and life sciences journal literature, PubMed Central (PMC), which is an open and comprehensive database of bibliographic information about scientific articles. Prior to 2008, however, there was no systematic way of identifying publications attributed specifically to MRC funded work using this dataset.
	Robust attribution of outputs to funding source is a significant challenge to all research funding bodies. In 2008 the MRC, the Wellcome Trust and others funded the US National Library of Medicine to extract data routinely from the acknowledgement field, where available in scientific papers, and flag this information in the PubMed dataset. This has improved information on papers acknowledged as arising from MRC funded work, but is still incomplete. There were over 2,000 MRC attributed papers flagged in PubMed in 2008, which is approximately 60 per cent of the output reported directly to the MRC by researchers. The MRC is working with publishers and researchers to achieve consistent acknowledgement of Government support in all research publications.

Embryology

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answers by Lord Drayson on 20 April (WA 329—30) regarding the disproportionate cost of analysing many hundreds of journals worldwide, whether recipients of funding from the Medical Research Council (MRC) are required to report their research publications.

Lord Drayson: The Medical Research Council (MRC) requires that all researchers in receipt of funding report their publications to the MRC. Historically this has been via a variety of different means, and the information is not consistently available. The MRC is currently developing an online system to collect publication data directly from all researchers, but this is still in development.
	All recipients of MRC funding are required to acknowledge in their research publications that they have received funding from the MRC. This has been in a variety of different ways, making the systematic collection of these data difficult, and the MRC is working with publishers and researchers to address this issue. The MRC, in partnership with the other research councils, the UK's three national libraries and four national higher education funding bodies, also supports the Research Information Network which issued guidelines in 2008 for the standardised acknowledgement of funding source.
	Due to the variability of information available in research publications and in the final grant report submitted by researchers, the MRC has recently piloted a new annual survey of research outputs. This survey, which will be launched during 2009, aims to collect information relating to the outcomes and outputs of all research supported by the MRC from 2007 onwards.

Embryology

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Drayson on 20 April (WA 329) regarding competitive science, how research previously described as having a "virtually zero success rate" was classed as competitive and considered as an "exceptional case" for funding in a press statement from the Medical Research Council (MRC) on 13 September 2007; and how the stem cells derived from funding in the specific case concerned have subsequently been used in treating human disease.

Lord Drayson: The comment made in February 2007 by the MRC's then chief executive relating to somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), expressed his view that at that time the efficiency of the process was very low. The primary aim of the MRC's award to the University of Newcastle, made later that year, was to incorporate technological advances to improve the efficiency of SCNT in human oocytes and develop a reproducible method of generating human embryonic stem cells following the transfer of the nucleus of an adult somatic cell into an oocyte. The project, which is due to end towards the end of 2009, will not derive stem cells for use in treatments.
	The project was subject to the MRC's rigorous peer review process and was considered to be internationally competitive. The exceptional nature of the award was due to the need to consider carefully the ethics of sourcing eggs for the project from an egg sharing programme. The MRC's council made the award after careful consideration of advice from the MRC's Ethics Policy Advisory Committee, which advised that the sourcing of eggs through this route would, in this case, be ethically acceptable and that the funding would not encourage the donating women to take risks that they would otherwise not take.

Embryology

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answers by Lord Darzi of Denham on 1 April (WA 235) and by Baroness Thornton on 20 April (WA 329), which of the 15 inspection reports available on the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority website that discuss the time period for culturing embryos also provide details specific to the culture of outgrowing embryos, demonstrating that these never develop past either 14 days or the appearance of the primitive streak.
	To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answers by Lord Darzi of Denham on 22 January 2008 (WA 28) and 1 April 2009 (WA 235), and further to the Written Answer by Baroness Thornton on 20 April 2009 (WA329), whether the culture of outgrowing embryos beyond 14 days is not in itself considered to be an activity requiring a licence, such that a breach of the 14-day limit would not be revealed in inspection reports.

Lord Darzi of Denham: The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) has advised me that two of the 15 most recent inspection reports published on its website, that discuss the time period for culturing embryos, provide details specific to embryos which have outgrown their structure. These reports are for Guy's Hospital, centre 0102, (report dated 2 April 2008) and Oxford Fertility Centre, centre 0035, (report date 16 September 2008). The reports can be found on the website at www.hfea.gov.uk/180.html.
	As I have already stated in my Answers of 10 February 2009 (col. WA 176) and 9 March 2009 (col. WA205), the embryonic masses that form when embryos outgrow their structure are not considered by HFEA to be embryos because they do not have the 3D organisation of an embryo, do not have a relationship between extra embryonic and embryonic tissue essential for normal development and do not develop a primitive streak. As such, culturing this tissue is not a licensable activity. However, the HFEA monitors the culture of this tissue as part of its research inspection process.

Energy: Anaerobic Digestion

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the winning bids to construct up to six anaerobic digestion plants funded by the Environmental Transformation Fund.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: We are currently in the process of considering the bids and have not yet made any decisions.

Energy: Efficiency

Lord Kirkwood of Kirkhope: To ask Her Majesty's Government what schemes currently promoted by government departments reward energy efficiency.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The Government's strategy to promote improvements in energy efficiency consists of a broad range of measures—a series of carrots and sticks, regulations and support—designed to overcome the individual barriers within each sector of the economy.
	Direct rewards for action on energy efficiency currently do not play a part. However, significant incentives in the form of grant and subsidy are made available to households through the Government's Warm Front scheme and the Carbon Emissions Reduction Target (CERT). Under Warm Front, the Government are set to provide some £959 million in grant to fuel poor households within the current 2008-11 Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR) period for the provision of efficient heating systems and insulation measures. CERT, which is a market mechanism, will see the six major energy suppliers invest over £3 billion in household energy efficiency over the same period. The Government have also introduced fiscal incentives such as a reduced rate of VAT on energy saving materials, enhanced capital allowances and the landlord's energy saving allowance.
	Our energy efficiency strategy, the latest summary of which is set out in the 2007 energy efficiency action plan, is currently being reviewed as part of the heat and energy saving strategy consultation now underway.

Energy: Waste Plants

Lord Taylor of Holbeach: To ask Her Majesty's Government how the energy efficiency of waste plants in the United Kingdom is determined; and what changes will have to be made to transpose into United Kingdom law the waste framework directive.

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: The existing Waste Framework Directive (WFD) (2006112/EC) does not require waste plants to be energy efficient. The revised WFD (2008/98/EC) requires a high level of energy efficiency for incineration and co-incineration plants. When the revised WFD is transposed in England, it will rest with the Environment Agency to determine what constitutes a high level of energy efficiency for each particular plant. The transposition of the revised WFD in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland is a matter for the respective devolved Administrations.

Equality and Human Rights Commission

Baroness Warsi: To ask Her Majesty's Government (a) how many posts there are at the Equality and Human Rights Commission; (b) how many vacancies there are; and (c) how many vacancies have been temporarily filled by consultants, temporary staff and interim appointees.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: As at 31 March 2009, the Equality and Human Rights Commission has:
	(a) 525 full-time equivalent (FTE) posts;(b) of these, 83 FTE posts are vacant; and(c) of these, nine posts are temporarily filled by consultants, temporary staff and interim appointees.

EU: External Action Service

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they support the European Union's decision to train its staff to build a European Union External Action Service in advance of the ratification of the Lisbon treaty by all the member states of the European Union.

Lord Malloch-Brown: No decision has been taken by the EU (Council of Ministers or European Commission) to train its staff to build an EU External Action Service, ahead of the possible entry in to force of the Lisbon treaty.
	There is a long-standing tradition of collaboration between member states and the EU institutions in the field of training. This collaboration has not just been set up because of the possible entry in to force of the Lisbon treaty. It is about promoting regular contact in our European networks and spreading best practice, and has been in effect since the 1980s.

Further Education: Capital Investment

Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many capital projects have been frozen or deferred in the further education sector in 2008—09 and 2009—10; what are the value of such building projects; and what is the impact of such inactivity on the construction industry in the United Kingdom.

Lord Young of Norwood Green: As set out in the Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills' Written Statement of 4 March 2009, following the Learning and Skills Council's (LSC) assessment of colleges seeking approval in principle or detail, it was confirmed that the council had already given 79 colleges the first stage of approval in principle. Government funding of nearly £2.7 billion would be needed for them to proceed. A further 65 colleges have submitted bids to the national LSC for approval in principle with an assumed funding contribution from Government of a further £3 billion. As a consequence, there are many more schemes currently in preparation than can be funded in this spending round.
	Sir Andrew Foster's report into how this situation arose and the lessons to be learnt for the future was published on 1 April. In line with the recommendation from Sir Andrew to develop a "needs-based" approach LSC is now consulting with the sector on the approach that should be used to prioritise schemes and has established a reference panel of college principals convened by the Association of Colleges.
	Budget 2009 on 22 April announced additional funding of more than £300 million in this spending round (2009-10 and 2010-11) to support FE capital projects. In addition we are planning a continuing FE capital investment programme in future years, with a planning assumption of £300 million a year from 2011-12 to 2013-14 to be confirmed at the next spending review. This provides a provisional £1.2 billion in total to 2013-14 which should allow us to develop around £750 million of new schemes.
	We fully understand the need for certainty not just for colleges but also the construction firms that will have been involved in the development of these projects. John Denham wrote to all Members of Parliament following the budget setting out the position and the acting chief executive of the LSC also wrote to all college principals setting out the work that was ongoing and the timetable for agreeing when the available funds would be allocated.

Government: IT Contracts

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government which information technology contracts with a value of £50 million or over have been entered into by the Government Equalities Office and its predecessors since 1997; and which of those have been completed to budget, to time and to specification.

Baroness Royall of Blaisdon: The Government Equalities Office and its predecessor, the Women and Equality Unit, have not entered into any such contracts.

Government: IT Contracts

Lord Patten: To ask Her Majesty's Government which information technology contracts with a value of £50 million or over have been entered into by the Department for Work and Pensions and its predecessors since 1997; and which of those have been completed to budget, to time and to specification.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: The information is not available for contracts entered into prior to the formation of the department in 2001.
	The position on IT contracts with a value of £50 million or over entered into since then is as follows:
	the realigned Standard Services Business Allocation and Integrated Communications and Network Services contracts (2005) are the frameworks which provide, respectively, IT and telephony services for the department and its businesses (Jobcentre Plus, Pension Disability and Carers Service and Child Support Agency, now Child Maintenance and Enforcement Commission). These arrangements expire between 2009 and 2011, unless extended by agreement; andthe Central Payment System (2006) contract is for a system that provides payments to the department's customers which are secure, accurate and timely. It is expected to deliver by 2010-11.
	Neither of these contracts has been completed, so no full assessment has been made.
	A memorandum by the National Audit Office for the Commons Work and Pensions Select Committee (Department for Work and Pensions: Information Technology Programmes, November 2008) provides a full account of the department's current IT investment.

Health: Chronic Fatigue Syndrome/Myalgic Encephalomyelitis

The Countess of Mar: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence guidelines on chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis are to be reviewed; and, if so, when.

Lord Darzi of Denham: The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence will consider in August 2010 whether there is a need to review its clinical guideline on chronic fatigue syndrome/myalgic encephalomyelitis.

Health: Contaminated Blood Products

Lord Roberts of Conwy: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the answers by Baroness Thornton on 5 March (Official Report, House of Lords, cols. 844—46), what representations they have received from Mrs Harriet Bullock of Reydon, Suffolk, the widow of a haemophilia patient fatally infected with hepatitis C by contaminated NHS products, about those answers.

Lord Darzi of Denham: It would be inappropriate to give details of any correspondence which is treated as confidential.

Houses of Parliament: Demonstrations

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government why on 20 April the Metropolitan Police prevented vehicles entering Parliament Square; for how long this action continued; whether it hindered access to Parliament by Members of both Houses; whether the parliamentary authorities were consulted in advance; whether police or military helicopters flew over Parliament Square and, if so, (a) why, (b) for how long, and (c) at what height; and what was the cost of operations relating to protests in Parliament Square on 20 April and previous days.

Lord West of Spithead: The Government are committed to protecting and facilitating the right to peaceful protest. Police tactics and decisions on policing protests are matters for the independent judgment of chief officers of police. The policing of demonstrations around Parliament is an operational matter for the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police.

Houses of Parliament: Select Committees

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by the Lord President (Baroness Royall of Blaisdon) on 20 April (WA 346), on how many occasions and in what circumstances Ministers of the Ministry of Defence have refused to give evidence to Parliamentary Select Committees during the past five years.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: None.

Houses of Parliament: Select Committees

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by the Lord President (Baroness Royall of Blaisdon) on 20 April (WA 346), on how many occasions and in what circumstances Ministers of the Department for Children, Schools and Families have refused to give evidence to Parliamentary Select Committees during the past five years.

Baroness Morgan of Drefelin: According to our records, no Ministers at the Department for Children, Schools and Families have refused to give evidence to parliamentary Select Committees.

Houses of Parliament: Select Committees

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by the Lord President (Baroness Royall of Blaisdon) on 20 April (WA 346), on how many occasions and in what circumstances Ministers of the Department for Work and Pensions have refused to give evidence to Parliamentary Select Committees during the past five years.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: There have been no circumstances during the past five years in which a Minister from the Department for Work and Pensions has refused an invitation from a parliamentary Select Committee to attend oral evidence.

Human Rights

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Malloch-Brown on 20 April (WA 348) concerning human rights issues in the Republic of Ireland, for what countries they make an assessment of human rights protection; and how those countries are selected.

Lord Malloch-Brown: Our missions overseas regularly report on a variety of issues, including on human rights, where appropriate. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's 2008 annual report on human rights highlighted 21 countries of concern, but this is not an exhaustive survey of countries' records on human rights. Nor is it a league table of countries we consider the worst offenders.
	For further information the report can be found at www.fco.gov.uk/resources/en/pdf/pdf15/human-rights-2008.

Iran: Baha'i

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the statement of 15 February by the Prosecutor General of Iran, Ayatollah Dorri-Najafabadi, that it is the declared intention of the Iranian authorities to "confront and destroy" the leadership of the country's Baha'i community; what information they have about the whereabouts and health of the seven Baha'i leaders imprisoned in Iran; and whether they have made representations asking for a trial date to be set and for the presence of independent observers at the trial.

Lord Malloch-Brown: We have serious concerns about ongoing discrimination against Baha'is in Iran. The statement of 15 February 2009 is a worrying indictment of the precarious nature of their community and offers increasing evidence of efforts by the Iranian authorities to identify and monitor Baha'is. We are monitoring developments and continue to press the Iranian authorities to take seriously their international human rights obligations and end persecution of its religious minorities.
	We have received reports that the seven Baha'i leaders are in good health. However, we are extremely concerned by their prolonged detention and have called repeatedly for the Iranian Government to release them. My honourable friend the Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Bill Rammell, issued a Statement on 16 February 2009, backed by an EU statement on 17 February 2009, calling for the Iranian Government to guarantee a fair trial and allow independent observation of judicial proceedings.

Iraq: NAPS Tablets

The Countess of Mar: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many members of Her Majesty's armed forces on military duties in Iraq have been issued with Nerve Agent Pre-treatment Sets (pyridostigmine bromide) since the beginning of 2003; how many are recorded as having taken the tablets; under what circumstances they were taken; and what action has been taken to assess the effects of the medication.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: During the first three months of Operation TELIC (January-March 2003), nerve agent pre-treatment sets (NAPS) tablets were issued to Armed Forces personnel in single strips of 21 tablets. The recommended dosage rate is one pyridostigmine bromide (30mg) tablet every eight hours i.e. three per day. Thus, a single strip contains a week's supply.
	A total of 7,266,504 tablets were supplied to Operation TELIC, in the form of 346,024 strips of 21. These were issued to approximately 32,000 personnel, over a three month period as follows:
	
		
			 Month Strips supplied Total tablets 
			 January 2003 85,573 1,797,033 
			 February 2003 155,541 3,266,361 
			 March 2003 104,910 2,203,110 
			 Total 346,024 7,266,504 
		
	
	NAPS tablets were issued to personnel by their commanders, and self-administered on command. Operational commanders were given the authority to decide when troops should start and stop taking NAPS in order that the use of the countermeasure could be adapted to meet the threat situation at the time.
	Due to the policy of self-administration of NAPS tablets, as opposed to administration by a medical officer, no records of their administration are kept. All service personnel receive training on the importance of taking NAPS in theatre and instructions for the use of NAPS are well publicised to command and medical staff.
	The use of NAPS on Operation TELIC ceased in April 2003. The effects of the medication have been assessed through routine epidemiology and theatre reporting systems. In addition, MoD sponsored a research programme into the possible health effects of the combination of vaccines and tablets which were given to troops at the time of the 1990-91 Gulf conflict to protect them against the threat of biological and chemical warfare. The overwhelming evidence from the programme is that the NAPS that were offered to UK forces at the time of the 1990-91 Gulf conflict would not have had adverse health effects. The tablets issued on Op TELIC were the same as those used in the Gulf in 1990-91.
	The MoD also funds the Kings Centre for Military Health Research which looks at the health issues for service people and veterans including those that have served in Iraq.

Marine Environment: Gibraltar

Lord Tebbit: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they consider the United Kingdom Permanent Representation to the European Union to have been negligent in failing to make the Government aware that the government of Spain had put forward a site in British Gibraltar territorial waters for designation under the Habitats Directive (92/43EEC) as an environmentally sensitive site under Spanish responsibility.

Lord Malloch-Brown: As I stated in my Answer of 1 April 2009 (Official Report, col. WA243), the European Commission adopted Decision 2009/05/EC on 12 December 2008, adopting a second updated list of sites of community importance under the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC).
	When the sites were put forward, the UK was asked by the Commission to verify those sites which the UK had submitted (as were other member states asked to verify only their own submissions). In our view the designation procedures were deficient and there was a lack of transparency and effective consultation involved.
	The UK is deeply concerned that Spain should seek to designate an area of British Gibraltar territorial waters and that this designation should have been approved. We have already made representations to both the European Commission and Spain on this matter and will continue to do so in order to redress this issue. In the mean time, we have placed on record that the UK does not recognise the validity of the Spanish designation.

Northern Cyprus

Lord Maginnis of Drumglass: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the 19 April election result in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and whether there is any link between that result and promises made by the United Kingdom government and by the European Union subsequent to the 2004 Annan Plan referendum result or with current human rights policies towards Turkish Cypriots.

Lord Malloch-Brown: There are likely to have been a wide number of factors influencing the electorate. Our primary focus must be on the settlement negotiations. The UK remains a firm supporter of steps to bring Turkish Cypriots closer to Europe through trade liberalisation and financial aid. We do not expect these elections to have an impact on the settlement process. Mr Talat is still the leader of the Turkish Cypriot community and therefore the negotiator. The talks continue to make good progress. Mr Eroglu has undertaken to support the process, which is an important indicator of his position.

Pensions

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord McKenzie of Luton on 25 March (WA 146), which benefits and pensions are inflation-proofed; which price index governs increases; which month's index is used to determine increases; on what date increases are applied; and by what date in 2009-10 it would be necessary to have deflation-proofing legislation in force to enable a fall in prices to be taken account of in such payments.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: The Department for Work and Pensions is required to review all social security benefits each year to ensure they have retained their value in relation to prices (or, for the standard minimum guarantee in pension credit, earnings). Generally the contributory benefits are increased in line with the retail prices index and the income related benefits increased by the Rossi index which is the retail prices index with the housing elements removed.
	The retail prices index and Rossi index for September and the average earnings index (whole economy, including bonuses seasonally adjusted) May to July are generally used to uprate benefits from the following April. The new rates broadly come into force from the first payday on or after the first Monday of the new financial year.
	Decisions on uprating are generally taken in the context of the Pre-Budget Report so that any changes can be announced by early December.

Pensions

Baroness Hollis of Heigham: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will continue to support workplace advice on pension planning, such as that provided by the Pensions Advisory Service.

Lord McKenzie of Luton: The Government believe that the programme of workplace visits initiated by the Pensions Advisory Service can have a part to play in raising awareness of the importance of retirement planning and that such visits should continue.
	DWP is working with the pensions industry, employers and the third sector to ensure information on pensions is available to those planning their retirement, drawing on a range of research including lessons learnt from the Pension Education Fund.

Police: Databases

Lord Oakeshott of Seagrove Bay: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many people are included in the police DNA database.

Lord West of Spithead: As at 31 March 2009 there were records on the national DNA database relating to an estimated 4,859,934 individuals included by all police forces, of which an estimated 4,561,201 were from English and Welsh forces.

Private Military Companies

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what use they make of private military companies in operations in countries where United Kingdom forces are deployed; and what is the chain of command in respect to the use of such companies.

Lord Malloch-Brown: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office currently use five private military and security companies (PMSCs) in both Iraq and Afghanistan to fulfil a number of roles including close protection, static guarding, police mentoring and intelligence analysis. Our current contracts provide a rigorous framework to ensure the highest standards of conduct from the PMSCs we contract. The chain of command is through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London and embassy officials on the ground in both countries.

Qatar

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will discuss with the Government of Qatar their reasons for detaining Mr and Mrs Martin Wright in that country without support.

Lord Malloch-Brown: There is an ongoing legal investigation involving Mr Wright in Qatar. Mr and Mrs Wright are not being held in detention, and we understand Mrs Wright has been able to leave the country. Our primary concern is Mr Wright's welfare and we have raised his case with the Qatari authorities at a senior level on several occasions. While we cannot interfere in the legal process of another sovereign state, we have expressed our hope to the Qatari authorities that the investigation will be dealt with quickly. Our consular staff in Doha continue to offer consular support to Mr Wright.

Questions for Written Answer: Cost

Lord Laird: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they last reviewed the £750 threshold above which parliamentary questions will not be answered on the ground of cost; and when they next intend to review it.

Lord Myners: The disproportionate cost threshold (DCT) rate was last reviewed in autumn of 2008 and the current rate of £750 was announced in the House on 8 December 2008. The DCT will be next reviewed as part of the quinquennial review of answering Parliamentary Questions later this year.

Railways: Capacity

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Office of Rail Regulation has the power to decide whether schemes for increasing railway capacity should be able to proceed ahead.

Lord Adonis: The Office of Rail Regulation's final determinations set out the schemes to be undertaken in each five-year control period and the level of funding available to deliver them. The final determinations are developed via an iterative periodic review process between the Office of Rail Regulation and Network Rail. The final determinations are published in Periodic Review 2008: Determination of Network Rail's Outputs and Funding for 2009-14, which is available at www.rail-reg.gov.uk/upload/pdf/383.pdf.

Railways: Fares

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will consider changing the policy where regulated railway fares are capped at an increase of the level of the retail prices index plus 1 per cent each year.

Lord Adonis: The Government do not intend to change the policy capping regulated fare increases at a maximum of RPI+1 per cent. The policy reflects the need to balance protection for passengers with a move away from very heavy demands on the taxpayer.
	We have made it clear that were RPI to be negative this year, this could lead to a reduction in fares next year.
	It is our intention that from January 2010 this cap will also generally apply to individual regulated fares, as opposed to being an average over the whole fares basket.

Railways: Seven-day Railway Policy

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with Network Rail over the implementation of the seven-day railway policy.

Lord Adonis: Ministers and officials meet regularly with Network Rail to discuss a wide range of matters. Network Rail's delivery plan for control period 4 (2009-14) has allocated a fund of £217 million for investments to implement the seven-day railway policy. Network Rail is leading implementation, in collaboration with- train operators, with delivery monitored by the Office of Rail Regulation.

Railways: Station Staffing

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have discussed with Train Operating Companies proposals to reduce staffing levels at stations.

Lord Adonis: The number of staff employed at stations is a matter for train operating companies to decide in the light of customer service, operational and economic requirements.
	The Government expect train operating companies to ensure that they maintain sufficient staffing levels to meet their obligations under their franchise agreements and other conditions.

Somaliland

Lord Avebury: To ask Her Majesty's Government what were the findings of the three officials from the British Embassy in Addis Ababa who visited Somaliland from 19 to 22 April.

Lord Malloch-Brown: Officials from our embassy in Addis Ababa visited Somaliland from 19 to 22 April 2009. They met a variety of government, opposition and civil society figures and discussed issues around security, piracy and the democratisation process. In particular they discussed the impasse in the elections and urged all parties to find consensus on the way forward.
	Since the visit, the main Somaliland political parties have reached agreement on a process to prepare for elections in September.

Sudan

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what information they have received about the setting ablaze of a church in the village of Chat in the Nuba Mountains of Sudan during a service on 24 March; who is thought to be responsible; and whether information suggests that this is part of an intensification of attacks on minorities.

Lord Malloch-Brown: We are aware of the incident referred to that took place towards the end of March 2009 in the Nuba Mountains. Accurate reports of the event are hard to come by but we understand that a service in Shatt Damam in the Nuba Mountains was interrupted and the congregation told to leave the church before it was set on fire. It is not clear who was responsible but we believe this was a manifestation of on going inter-tribal tension in that region.
	We closely monitor the situation in the Nuba Mountains and we have no information to suggest this attack was part of an orchestrated intensification of attacks on minorities.

Terrorism

Baroness Warsi: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in rolling out Operation Nicole.

Lord West of Spithead: The Association of Chief Police Officers (Terrorism and Allied Matters) has national responsibility for co-ordinating and overseeing Operation Nicole. They have advised that to date there have been 16 Operation Nicole exercises across the country with a further 22 planned.

Terrorism: Violent Extremists

Baroness Warsi: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many individuals have been recruited by violent extremists in the United Kingdom.

Lord West of Spithead: The director general of M15 has identified approximately 2,000 individuals who are believed to pose a direct threat to national security. The threat is trans-national in scope; violent extremism is also a threat to our close allies and to UK interests overseas.

Transport: Rural Areas

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government further to the Written Answer by Lord Adonis on 2 April (WA 294), whether Regional Development Agencies will have to account for the provision of rural transport initiatives in their areas.

Lord Adonis: Since April 2005 it has been for individual regional development agencies (RDAs) to determine the socio-economic priorities for all parts of their regions, including rural areas. These priorities are set out in the regional economic strategy and RDA corporate plan, and RDAs must demonstrate through their annual reports how they are achieving them.
	However, RDAs are not specifically required to deliver rural transport initiatives in their area, and, as such, nor are they required to account for such provision.

Transport: Satellite Navigation

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty's Government what proposals they are considering to regulate satellite navigation devices.

Lord Adonis: The Department for Transport (DfT) has been reviewing a number of route guidance system issues, including existing regulations. The Government consider that national regulation is not the most effective mechanism to address many of the issues often attributed to satellite navigation devices. While the Government are not considering additional regulation of satellite navigation devices, DfT is supporting a number of non-regulatory activities to ensure that future generations of satnav are accurate, vehicle specific and minimise inappropriate routeing. The European Commission is also examining data provision for real time in-vehicle information systems (IVIS), including satnav.

Treasury: Overseas Visits

Lord Ashcroft: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether any HM Treasury officials have visited any British overseas dependent territory in the Caribbean (including Bermuda and Turks and Caicos Islands) in the past six months; and, if so, for what purpose.

Lord Myners: I refer the noble Lord to the Answer I gave to him on 20 April 2009 (Official Report, col. WA 394).

Trident

Lord Lester of Herne Hill: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the current estimated cost of replacing Trident submarines.

Baroness Taylor of Bolton: Our current estimate, published in the December 2006 White Paper The Future of the UK's Nuclear Deterrent (Cm 6994), is that the total procurement costs of the new submarines will be in the region of £11 to £14 billion, at 2006-07 prices, for a four-boat fleet. These costs are being refined as experts continue to engage in detailed discussion with industry.

Turkey

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they will make to the Government of Turkey regarding the arrests of some 100 members of the Democratic Society Party including national deputy chairmen, provincial chairmen and party officials; and whether there will be a European Union demarche on this issue and on the right of the Democratic Society Party to continue in existence.

Lord Malloch-Brown: Democratic Society Party (DTP) members have been arrested within the scope of a Turkish operation against the Kurdish Workers Party. We have not seen the evidence against them. It is for the Turkish courts to assess that evidence in the first instance. It would not therefore be appropriate for us to intervene in the legal proceedings. We are following events closely to ensure that due process is being followed. We are also following closely the current court case seeking to close the DTP. We have no plans to intervene in the case, but have pressed Turkey to reform the legislation which allows political parties to be closed, to bring it into line with European practice.

Turks and Caicos Islands

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government how they will assess the reaction of (a) islanders, and (b) Caribbean Community countries to their proposal to impose direct rule on the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Lord Malloch-Brown: There has been no formal assessment of the reaction of Turks and Caicos islanders or that of Caribbean Community countries. The Governor in the Turks and Caicos Islands and our missions around the region are keeping the Foreign and Commonwealth Office abreast of any developments.
	This would not be indefinite direct rule, but rather an intervention for an interim period only to deal with the current problems and to restore the principles of good governance to the Turks and Caicos Islands.

Unemployment

Lord Kilclooney: To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the percentage unemployment rates in (a) the United States, (b) Germany, (c) France, (d) Spain, (e) the Republic of Ireland, (f) the European Union as a whole, and (g) the United Kingdom.

Lord Patel of Bradford: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Karen Dunnell, National Statistician, to Lord Kilclooney, dated April 2009.
	As National Statistician, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking what are the percentage unemployment rates in (a) the United States, (b) Germany, (c) France, (d) Spain, (e) the Republic of Ireland, (t) the European Union as a whole, and (g) the United Kingdom. [HL3018]
	Comparable unemployment rates for EU member states are estimated and published by Eurostat, the Statistical Office of the European Communities, using data derived from the Labour Force Survey in each country. The Eurostat definition of unemployed persons covers those aged 15 to 74. Estimates for 15 year-olds are not available for Spain, therefore the figures published are for people aged 16 to 74 instead. The unemployment rate for the United Kingdom and the United States is based on those aged 16 and over.
	The latest estimates for each country are provided in the table.
	This information is updated monthly as part of the Labour Market Statistics First Release and can be found on the National Statistics website at the following address: www.statistics.gov.uk/OnlineProducts/LMS_FR_HS.asp.
	
		
			 Unemployment rates2, by country. Seasonally adjusted 
			   Per cent 
			 Country Latest period Unemployment rate2 
			 United States Mar 09 9 
			 Germany Feb 09 7 
			 France Feb 09 9 
			 Spain Feb 09 16 
			 Ireland Feb 09 10 
			 European Union3 Feb 09 8 
			 United Kingdom Dec-Feb 09 7 
		
	
	Source: Eurostat, ONS, US Bureau of Labor Statistics
	1 The unemployment rate for the EU and EU member states is based on those aged 15 to 74 except for Spain (16 to 74). The unemployment rate for the UK and US is based on those aged 16 and over.
	2The unemployment rate is the number of people unemployed as a percentage of the total number of people employed and unemployed.
	3Consists of all 27 EU countries.

United Nations: Conventions

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government which United Nations conventions they have yet to ratify.

Lord Malloch-Brown: Of the 635 treaties, conventions and related instruments for which the United Nations (and its predecessor the League of Nations) is depositary, there are currently 153 by which the UK has not consented to be bound, either through ratification or its equivalent. The UK has signed, but not ratified, 26 of these. I have placed a list in the House of Lords Library containing details of these treaties and conventions.